World celebrates International Day of the Arabic Language

CAIRO – 18 December 2018: On Dec. 18 of every year, the world celebrates the International Day of the Arabic Language, following Saudi Arabia's proposal at the 190th session of the Executive Council of UNESCO to make Arabic an official language.

The General Assembly’s Resolution number 3190 was adopted on Dec. 18, 1973, and recommended that Arabic becomes an official language of the General Assembly and its subsidiaries, among the other five official languages recognized by the UN; English, French, Russian, Spanish and Chinese.

In October 2012, the UNESCO celebrated and organized the International Arabic Language Day for the first time. On Oct. 23, 2013, the UNESCO’s advisory committee for the international plan for the development of the Arab Culture decided to adopt the International Day of Arabic Language as a main element of its annual program.